Every Wednesday morning, SFGATE finds the biggest headlines in local (and sometimes national) beer. Check back here weekly for news, events, and information about special releases from your favorite local breweries.

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Brewers might be busy with all the peaks and valleys of San Francisco Beer Week, but that hasn't stopped some local companies from making headlines.

Mainly, there's the news that Sierra Nevada Brewinghas acquired Sufferfest Beer Co., a gluten-removed brewery founded in San Francisco in 2016. The purchase underscores the excitement around the burgeoning category of gluten-free and gluten-removed beers, as well as other health-aware non-beer drinks, like hard seltzers and ciders. As the CEOs tell it, neither company was necessarily looking to partner when they met at a conference by chance last fall. Nevertheless, they ultimately decided it would be a mutually beneficial business move. Read more on the purchase here.

Over in Berkeley, the Rare Barrel is diversifying their offerings a bit: They're releasing cans. Of an IPA. Okay, so it's a sour IPA (80 percent hazy IPA, 20 percent barrel-aged golden sour), which makes more sense for the company, and it's the result of "a 5 year adventure in exploring hops and sour beer." Plus, check out the label: